BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — According to Letchworth Park History, "Sehgahunda" means the "Vale of Three Falls".
On May 18, I joined hundreds of other trail runners to take part in the Sehgahunda trail marathon. You can run the solo marathon or form relay teams of 2 or 4. This is the fourth time I have participated in the race and I have always chosen the solo option. This race 5 years ago was my first full marathon.
No matter what the weather is like this is a tough race. My watch said I ascended almost 3,700 feet. On Saturday my step total was 59,900. I should have walked another 100 steps for 60,000 but I was too tired.
The race starts at the Mount Morris Dam visitor center. It was foggy that morning and a lot of rain fell overnight. I was in the last wave of runners to start meaning the course was going to be pretty trampled in front of me. The rain made it extremely muddy and slippery. I've been wearing the same trail running shoes for several years now. I need to buy some new ones before my next race. I was slipping and sliding with every step. Normally I can run pretty quickly down the hills, but I could not this year. I had no traction and I was worried I was going to fall into a ravine only to be found a few days later!
I settled in knowing I was not going to set a PR (personal record) so I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of Letchworth. My main focus for most of the race was just to not get hurt. I have Ironman Lake Placid in July, and I cannot afford to get injured now. I slowly made my way through the course and 7 hours later I was able to cross the finish line.
I admit I almost quit several times. The course was tough and a number of runners did not finish. I just kept smiling and pushed through to the end. The volunteers do such a great job on this race and they keep encouraging you at each checkpoint.
I'm not going to run the Buffalo Marathon but I am going to volunteer. I'll be at Mile 2 handing out water and Gatorade with the great people of the Buffalo Triathlon Club. I'm looking forward to cheering on the thousands of runners who will be running through Buffalo this Sunday.
